Quebec-based managed service provider doubles patch management clients without hiring additional staff and reduced patch management time by 90%.
BACKGROUND
Fleet Informatique (Fleetinfo) is a technology-driven company based in Quebec, Canada. Founded in 2008, Fleetinfo specializes in advanced IT solutions, including network solutions, managed IT services, wireless infrastructure deployment and cybersecurity assessments. They have a diverse client base spanning commercial and corporate enterprises, municipalities and public institutions, and multitenant residential buildings.
THE CHALLENGE
Fleetinfo runs an expansive operation offering a wide range of services to businesses across Canada and the U.S., but their team encountered several challenges with their current remote monitoring and management (RMM) solution. Among the most concerning was introducing security risks due to the absence of multifactor authentication.
Additionally, Fleetinfo’s technicians worked with several disparate tools that lacked automation and integration. According to Pascal Champagne, Directeur Développement des Affaires / Business Development Director, Fleetinfo, “We were stuck using many software products, and they were not necessarily talking to each other. So, putting APIs in place to automate some processes was a real challenge that sometimes created more issues.”
Fleetinfo’s team performed most tasks manually, including the patch application process. This was both time consuming and costly because their technicians needed to commit several hours of their day to ensure patches were applied correctly. One of the main drawbacks of manual patching is that it’s prone to error, and such unforeseen issues can introduce security risks if exploited.
CHALLENGE
- The previous RMM introduced security risks.
- Most processes were performed manually, which was time consuming and elevated risk of failure in the patching process.
- Disparate solutions increased complexity in overall management.
- API integrations offered limited flexibility.
REQUIREMENTS
- Process automation, including patch management.
- Scalable, faster and more efficient RMM.
- Improved cybersecurity and exploit prevention.
RESULTS
- Increased the number of clients utilizing Acronis RMM from 15% to 80%.
- Doubled patch management clients without needing more technicians.
- Saved 90% of time by automating tasks without impacting client quality of service.
THE SOLUTION
Mr. Champagne and his team needed a new RMM solution with the ability to automate tedious tasks, integrate with other solutions and simplify security management. Fleetinfo’s team researched several market-leading RMM tools. In their assessment, the new solution needed to have three qualities: it needed to be faster, more efficient and scalable. Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud with Acronis RMM met all these criteria when compared to other RMMs on the market.
Fleetinfo uses nearly the full scope of Acronis RMM capabilities, including vulnerability assessments, automated patching, remote desktop assistance and remote monitoring. Mr. Champagne shares that they use Acronis as the sole solution for everything — in all aspects of cybersecurity. Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud natively integrates cybersecurity, data protection and endpoint management on a single dashboard and solution. This empowers Fleetinfo to perform patching, remote desktop assistance, remote monitoring and security tasks in the same console.
“We were able to double the number of customers that were using that kind of service (patching) with us, but we haven’t doubled the number of our technicians. It’s fair to assume that we made a 200% increase in that particular aspect (client to technician ratio).”
THE RESULTS
According to Mr. Champagne, Fleetinfo’s technicians reduced patch management time by 90% with Acronis RMM. He highlights that Acronis automated patching plays a critical role in reducing the amount of labor-intensive, tedious work for their team. He is confident that patches are not only automatically applied but also applied correctly. The fail-safe patching in Acronis RMM automatically backs up client systems before deploying patches. So, if there is an issue with a patching update, Fleetinfo can easily roll back systems to a known, unaffected working state. This gives their team peace of mind that they can reliably and efficiently close security gaps without risk of downtime — even in third-party applications.
Mr. Champagne says they’ve seen remarkable business growth. Prior to using Acronis RMM, 15–20% of clients used Fleetinfo’s RMM services. Now, over 80% of their clients are receiving RMM services.
Mr. Champagne explains that the value of Acronis RMM came from its intuitiveness and centralized console, which significantly improved ease of use, enhanced efficiency and simplified management. Additionally, the natively integrated approach helps Fleetinfo achieve faster response times to incidents and enables their technicians to more comprehensively protect clients.